Helicopter Transportation Suits

When travelling offshore by helicopter, workers wear helicopter passenger transportation suits designed to protect them in an emergency evacuation at sea. As part of continuous improvement efforts, offshore operators in Atlantic Canada rolled out a new suit in 2015 to the offshore workforce.

Although helicopter transportation suits currently in use offshore are still approved for use and meet previous standard requirements, the new suit’s development follows an extensive review of the Canadian General Standards Board’s helicopter passenger transportation suit standard. This multi-year review, which involved significant input from operators, regulators, suit manufacturers and the offshore workforce, resulted in an improved standard for helicopter passenger transportation suits.

The new suit will include a number of new features designed to meet this new standard while improving comfort for the wearer, including:

New lightweight Gore-Tex material;

Yellow colour for improved visual detection;

Neck and wrist seals with integrated hoods and mitts to prevent leakage;

Incorporation of release valves in the ankle and shoulder areas to vent residual air in an immersion scenario;